dlowan
Really enjoyed your WE ARE ONE essay. Very good!
Cute, eh?
It is doing the email rounds again....
anyone calling in sick tomorrow?
dlowan wrote:I wish you were on smegging MSN, or Yahoo, or some other damn chat thingy, like I am.....
i have to
appear to be working, lest my employees start saying nasty things about me. being on a chat thing will definitely ruin the illusion i'm trying to project of a hard working manager.
LOL! Not if they think you are writing stuff.....
10,700 new citizens
By Steve Butcher
January 27, 2004
They came to pledge loyalty to Australia before a Chinese-born official in robes, frills and gold chains, beneath a portrait of a young English Queen and to the music of Aboriginal clap sticks.
This strange, but seamless, merging of cultures enhanced a citizenship ceremony yesterday in Melbourne's Town Hall. It was one of 25 Australia Day gatherings in Victoria involving about 1700 people. More than 9000 new citizens elsewhere joined the ranks of the "real Aussies".
Mothers lined up with their children and a young Turkish woman from a town on the Black Sea joined Somalis shining in traditional dress.
Formerly of Finland, retail pricing analyst Juhani von Hellens wore a suit and carried a cricket bat. Content that Australia and Finland - whose national sport is ice hockey - have nothing to compete for on the sporting field, Mr von Hellens, 26, is free from fears of mixed loyalties.
"I've been here 10 years and decided I've been here long enough to make a decision to start calling Australia home," he said. His Australian-born wife Bronwyn said she would never "take away his homeland" if that was an issue, but it had not been.
But why a cricket bat? "I brought it along because when you're an Australian one thinks everyone carries around a cricket bat and that it's played all the time," he laughed.
Lord Mayor John So summoned candidates to pledge or affirm their loyalty to Australia and its people, and to its democratic beliefs, rights, liberties and laws. Each new citizen left the stage clutching their crisp certificate, a small native tree to plant at home and a booklet on how to enrol to vote. Some family and friends hooted with joy as their loved ones or mates filed from the stage as Mr So welcomed each as "full members of the Australian community".
Turkish-born Huriye Taptil, 27, said she was delighted to become a citizen. "I like being in Australia," she told The Age.
The proud mother of Saen, 10, and Nadia, 8, Kadra Ismail said her children had always felt like Australians after arriving from Somalia. Saen became a citizen "because my mum made me" and "because I live here".
Federal Treasurer Peter Costello warned Australians not to take for granted its living standards, prosperous economy and unchallenged democracy. Mr Costello, who defended Australia's immigration policy during a citizenship ceremony in Malvern, urged all new citizens to respect the values in their affirmations.
- with AAP
Nice until part of the last paragraph.
Sounds rather like Latham's position, doesn't it?
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Pity no-one told it to this dill...
Quote:"It was a mistake to try to show tolerance to minorities in the community by abandoning majority practices", he said.
Prime Minister & master ********** John Howard.
Bush's Australian clone. The most dangerous and incompetent person ever to hold public office in Australia.
msolga wrote:Sounds rather like Latham's position, doesn't it?
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Does it? I have been a bit cloistered, newswise, since before Christmas...
dlowan wrote:msolga wrote:Sounds rather like Latham's position, doesn't it?
Hmmmmmmmmmm
Does it? I have been a bit cloistered, newswise, since before Christmas...
didn't miss much. Howard described Australia's public schools as "value neutral", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. And he and his rich buddies continue to avoid comment on the funding anomaly that see's 70% of education funding going to private schools responsible for educating 30% of Australia's students.
These conservative scum are really good at looking after their own.
